


Unexpected Changes

by Longcat



Category: Original Work, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Lunch meeting, Slice of Life, shady business practices
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28120572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Longcat/pseuds/Longcat
Summary: Hirata Joi hates her job, has no life, and her fridge is empty. But a mysterious letter spells potential changes for her.





	Unexpected Changes

Hirata Joi was not looking forward to her day. Opening her fridge she saw half a package of natto and what would amount to only part of a cup of milk. Sure she could make some tea to stretch that, but the fact remained that she had no food. She also didn't have time to shop. Work was toxic to say the least. 

They were constantly on deadlines, the higher management wanted results without communicating their needs. Each design team was expected to compete against the others only to have their designs ultimately used with zero credit given to the designer or the team. Spring fashion was creeping up and Joi was still seeing the darker tones and muted patterns of fall. Winter might as well not exist. 

Oh and there was still cleaning up from yesterday's villain attack. Debris from the resulting fight had impacted on the apartment building she lived in. The elevator was knocked out and her own windows were cracked. There was no timeline for when they would be repaired. Just another thing in the life of Hirata Joi.

Huffing, she finally got to the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was standing on end already, her quirk having stored all the static built up from the walk of several flights. The lobby had debris swept up in piles from the same attack. Windows were boarded up waiting for replacement but somehow the mail boxes had remained unscathed. Joi was willing to put money on it that they were still janky and would jam and stick when opened. Glancing over the old boxes she noticed her's was dark as if something was in it. Strange, as the mail typically wasn't delivered so soon after an attack like that. 

Sure enough, the key got jammed. Even firm wiggling wouldn't budge the stubborn key from the lock. Well at the very least she could open it and was more than willing to just leave the key in place and put in another work order for her mailbox. Why couldn't the villain attack have hit the mailboxes? 

Joi pulled out a single black envelope. It was very sleek looking and the paper felt rich to her touch. Very high end stationary, expensive for a simple letter. Flipping it over in her hand she saw her name written out in gold ink, even her address was there. This letter was most certainly for her despite her brain screaming this had to be an accident. She didn't know anyone who still used snail mail and this certainly didn't look like a bill or a collection agency trying to contact her. 

Sliding her finger under the flap she eased the envelope open holding her breath that she didn’t damage the paper. A small gasp escaped when she saw that the area where the adhesive was was also gold gilded. Her heart was sitting in her throat as she pulled the letter out, the suspense and mystery of the whole letter was intense. And then all at once it was replaced by confusion.

The letter was once again addressed to her inside, but the letter itself was vague. In no great details it suggested that she should arrive for a meeting at a high end restaurant, today. Mentioning an invitation to a job interview when she knew she hadn't applied to anything recently. No where was there any sign of who it was from, not a signature or a return address, just a small golden skull with thread spiraled under it at the bottom of the letter. Double checking the envelope she noticed the lack of a stamp or any postage marks. Someone had dropped this off personally either yesterday or this morning. That changed everything. 

As if by magic Joi was suddenly not feeling well enough to go into work. Maybe the stairs had been too much, the stress of a recent villain attack had finally gotten to her, or simply something had been going around the office. Calling in to report her sudden onset of malaise had a beauty to its simplicity. She turned around and started her trek back up the stairs having decided that she needed to be wearing something much more fashionable and trendy than what she had on before. She had a job interview after all.

~~~

Joi had done everything to get her hair under control. It was a simple style, popular in Tokyo, but being just longer than chin length caused it to halo around her head with her quirk. She tried avoiding wearing wool or silk because of how quickly they built up static charges, but some of her best pieces of clothing were made of silk. Touching the railing on the stairs caused an arc of electricity to bridge the gap between her hand and the metal. The sharp sound of discharge cackled but her hair fell flat around her face again. It was a careful dance between fashion and her own quirk that she had to constantly work with. Still she felt good about how she looked. 

The black letter was tucked carefully into her purse as she walked the few blocks to the closest train station. The restaurant was in another part of town but there was enough time that even if the trains were running a bit slow today she would still be early to this mysterious meeting. There was something about mid-day train rides that was vastly different than the morning commute. The regular drone and hum of other people trying to get to work and school missing, in its place a rhythmic clacking of the train moving along the tracks. Buildings were a silver blur, faded images of people inside windows, as they passed parts of the commercial district. Her mind wandered as the train continued on its designated path. The station names were called out at each stop, breaking her from her daydreams enough so she could depart and continue on foot.

Joi felt a wave of anxiety and reluctance as the restaurant came into view. It was the kind that she would have never chosen to go to on her own. Just looking at the outside she could tell it was entirely out of her budget. The maitre de recognized her name when she provided it and led her to a table tucked away in a corner. She was early but that gave her time to ask for water and look around some. The lights were dim and the table’s were made of some dark wood, a large fish tank separated the tables from the bar and with some studying Joi could make out that the bottles behind the bar were all top shelf. Everything screamed wealth, something she was personally short on.

It was mid-day but there were still several people spaced out, eating quietly. Joi thought she recognized some as off duty heroes or possibly even an idol. Knowing the kind of person who ate here only made her more self-conscious about herself. Who she was meeting was still a mystery, but one that would be solved soon. 

The maitre de was leading a person over to her table. They were a tall afro-japanese and that alone stood out. Joi would take a guess they were nearly a foot taller than herself, and dressed impeccably. She couldn’t take her eyes off their outfit. It was bordering on a conceptual piece; leather twisted and woven in ways that were new to her and light glinted off bits of metal with what looked like accents of bone. It made her look down at her designer named silk blouse feeling as if she was underdressed. 

"Shall I tell the kitchen your usual, Bochi?" He asked, his attention on the person he just sat. His eyes didn't even glance over to Joi. It was as if he knew she didn't belong there.

"Has my guest ordered yet?" There was an edge to the otherwise normal question. Joi knew it wasn't directed at her but she still couldn't help wanting to dissolve into the chair. 

"Uh, no. She-" he shrunk back, a slight waiver to his voice.

"-will order first." They interrupted, reminding him of his place with just a glance and bringing their guest back into his scope of work duties. "Hirata Joi, have you gotten a menu to order from yet?"

Joi shook head no and a menu was quickly brought over for her. She was struck by who this was sitting across from her. Japan's design world was big and cut throat, many new designers and labels popped up each year and most wouldn't make it to see the next. It took years to get established in the industry, and many more years to claw their way to the top unless a hero attached their name to a line. There were few names that made it big quick, almost all of them attached to a fad and disappeared as quickly as they rose. And yet, she was sharing a table with a designer who was defying all the odds. 

Haka Moyou, Joi knew the name and had envied the designs, was a label that was new but one that others were taking note of. The owner was as sharp with their designs as they were with their use of industry rules and culture. Several companies had gone away after crossing Bochi Michi's ire, several more backed out of lucrative trades or lost long time suppliers. People were taking notice that this wasn't a fad-brand but a new powerhouse on the rise. There was some dark force behind the new brand, and Joi was looking at it. 

"Bochi-sama?"

"If you're ready to order, tell him." They tilted they're head in his direction. He took her order and scrambled off. It was weird to see someone who was not a waiter take her order. 

"No, I mean, thank you. For inviting me." 

"Hmmm." Someone else had slipped in unnoticed, dropping off two coffees. One of which Michi was already drinking. 

"I didn't know what to expect coming here." Joi was trying to find the words she needed to impress this unflappable person. She felt like she was tripping over her own tongue.

"Yet you still came. Curiosity perhaps, or an urge to experience more than just the mundane?" How Michi managed to not only make everything sound practiced but also mysterious was beyond Joi. The feeling of inadequacies were returning to her, she needed to remind herself that she was invited into this space.

"Your letter wasn't signed. I didn't know who-" she brought up the mystery of the letter.

"By design I assure you." Michi leaned back in their seat, reclining in a chair that wasn't meant for reclining. Their eyes glinted gold as they connected with Joi's. "Listen to what I have to say first. If you don't want anything to do with it you can return the letter. This won't be your standard interview.

"Tō Nuno is a strong company, not the best, but still strong, wouldn't you agree? You do work for them do you not? It is however a company that currently stands in my way. Haka Moyou is going to the top and it's crowded up there. I do not plan to be surrounded by anything but the best, so those that can't compete shouldn't be there. 

"Now, I have heard from industry gossip that Tō Nuno isn't nearly as strong as it appears. Is it true that infighting is encouraged? That they are often unable to meet full release of lines? Is theft of designs as common as I hear? An ever shrinking base of clients for custom pieces? And yet they continue to produce things like this when given opportunity to showcase." Michi reached down and pulled up a leather portfolio, took out a photo of a model on a runway, and placed it on the table. They watched the woman across from them carefully, Joi had always been easy to read, and to Michi it was almost as if they could read her thoughts.

"But that's, that's my design? They used one of mine as a showcase during a show? Why didn't I hear of this? Or even see it?" Joi was taken aback seeing one of her drawings on the body of a real person. Her design work had been made real and other people were seeing it. 

"Oh this isn't one of Tō Nuno's, it's the president of Tō Nuno's personal line, a side thing they thought would be a honey pot." Michi didn't even wait for the realization to set before leaving another image over the first. "This one was a guest feature during a collab show. This was passed to another competitor under a good faith deal. This was something that even I'm not sure where they were going to use it." 

Photo after photo came from the portfolio placed on the table where Joi could see. The deliberate timing of each was a new jab to her heart. If Michi was trying to get a rise out of her, they had accomplished it. 

"These are all my designs… how did they? How did _you_ find these?" Joi took a breath and readjusted herself. She couldn't let her emotions take control of her in this moment. 

"I'm very good at my job, all aspects of it. And I can tell you're good at yours. Which is why I wanted you to talk with me today. You see, I can envision a future in which Tō Nuno might be running into some pretty severe issues. Possibly as soon as sometime in the next coming months. What could start as simple irreparable issues with suppliers and retailers. Maybe a scandal involving the president of the company. It would undoubtedly least to issues with their public image in the media. Issues that will haunt its employees throughout their careers. Things they can't shake so easily. Possibly even the end of an era." Michi has a smirk while reciting their vision of the end for Joi's current employer. She was understanding why there were rumors of possible villainry involved with Haka Moyou's rise. "I'm offering you a job before-"

"I'll take it." Joi didn't even wait for Michi to finish their excellent monologue. She didn't need to hear where it was going to know that she wanted to be part of whatever Michi was offering. She was tired of her old life and was ready to run headlong into a new adventure. Haka Moyou might be a front for a villain's actions but she knew she was ready for crime if it came down to it. 

"You didn't even let me say what I wanted to hire you for, or any details like benefits." Michi almost seemed deflated that Joi had answered so quickly. They had tried building something up only for it to come to an early conclusion.

"Don't care, it's already better than what I have. I've never had someone praise my designs before. You went one step further and were able to recognize my work being passed off by others. You obviously see something in me that's worth attaching your name to. Tō Nuno has never done that." Joi was impressed and already felt more loyalty to this designer they had just met than to the job she had suffered through for the last four years.

"Can I at least finish what I was going to say?" Michi took a deep breath, Joi had successfully knocked them from their groove. They had been wrapped up in explaining how badly things were going to be for the other company in attempt to spook or persuade Joi into leaving them. Turned out it wasn't as necessary to spin this large story and go into the details of their plan, she was just ready.

"Sorry I did kind of take the steam out of your sails there." Joi pushed her now empty glass away from her. Trying to find something to do with her hands she unwrapped her utensils from the linen napkin. 

"Ugh, you know what. The moment is gone. Long and short I want you to work for me." They shuffled the pictures in a pile and placed them back in the portfolio, pulling a neatly bound envelope and placing that infront of her. "I have a contract already written up, your employment will start in two months time should you choose to sign. In the interim I want you to still work for me-" 

"Stealing ideas, feeding you drama, snooping for secrets?" Joi dared to interrupt Michi for a second time. She was so excited to be part of this. Ready to throw herself into illicit activities for health insurance and benefits.

"I already have all that, how do you think I know how to bring Tō Nuno down? Hirata, you are already difficult. I am not hiring you so you can break the law. I want you for my design team. Not corporate espionage." Michi brought their hand up to their temple as if to prevent a headache from starting. They had finally revealed just what job they were hiring her for. Joi had been so gung-ho that she hadn't given Michi the chance earlier. 

"Sorry boss." She took the envelope and carefully placed it in her purse beside the one she had gotten that morning. Her excitement and curiosity was burning at the idea of what the contract entailed, but she had decided she would take the time at her own home to read it. No sense letting the food that would be out any minute stain it.

"However, I do want you to keep up pretenses and let me know if there is anyone else you think is worth my time. Then in two months you join my team just in time to see the fireworks start. I wasn't lying when I said Haka Moyou was going to the top. You in for the ride?" 


End file.
